The UC Second Life Project works extensively with emerging technologies such as blogs, wikis, google apps, Twitter, and other social media to foster a sense of team work and collaboration, and to better understand how these technologies interface with and enhance virtual worlds such as Second Life. If you aren't familiar with some of these tools, the initial experience can be overwhelming. Don't panic! After the initial flurry of creating accounts and getting the proper access, you'll find that you use some tools more frequently than others, and over time you will begin to see how these tools are used.
Create a Second Life Account
If you don't already have one, create a Second Life account from the UC Second Life Project (UCSL) website and be sure to choose a name that is work appropriate. Note that as a condition of working for UCSL, this account is for work. You may also create a personal account if you want to explore or play with Second Life in your personal time, but your work account should only be used for activities related to your employment. At the end of your employment, you will need to change your password and hand over your work account to ensure the continuity of your builds, scripts, and other things you will have created, so keep that in mind. When you've finished creating your account, print and complete the UCSL Second Life Work Account Agreement and submit the completed form to the project manager to acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of your work Second Life account.
Create a Google (Gmail) Account & Change Your SL Account E-mail Address
The UCSL team uses Google applications - shared documents, spreadsheets, and other Google Docs applications - extensively in our collaborative work processes. Go to http://gmail.com and create a new account in the format SLfirstname.SLlastname for use with your UCSL project work. For example, if your avatar name is Fleep Tuque, your gmail account would be fleep.tuque@gmail.com. Send a test message to secondlife@uc.edu to ensure that your e-mail account is working properly. You will then have access to shared folders and other Google applications used by the UCSL team. Then, go to http://secondlife.com and log into your Second Life account on the web and change your account email address to your gmail first.last email address to ensure all communications from Second Life go to your new email account.
Create a Wikispaces Account
The UCSL team uses wikis extensively for collaboration, communicating about project work, and documenting aspects of the project. Go to http://wikispaces.com and create a new account using your SLfirstnameSLlastname as the username, for example, fleeptuque, and your gmail address as the contact e-mail address. Then, request access to become a member of the UC Second Life Project Team Wiki by going to http://ucslteam.wikispaces.com and clicking the "Join" button at the top right corner of the screen. We will grant your request for access as quickly as possible. You will then have access to edit pages on the wiki and see areas of the site not visible to the public.
Create a Flickr Account
The UCSL team uses Flickr to store snapshots and screenshots that help document our progress on projects in Second Life. Go to http://flickr.com and create an account using your first.last avatar name as the account information. (This will require that you create a Yahoo! account since Flickr is owned by Yahoo!) After creating your account, join the UC Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC) group so you can add your snapshots and photos to the UCSL group pool at http://www.flickr.com/groups/ucsllc/ . If it is not already installed on the computer you're using in the office, you may also wish to download and install the Flickr photo uploader to simplify adding snapshots to the Flickr group pool. See http://www.flickr.com/tools/ to download and install the Uploader.
Create a Twitter Account
We are experimenting with using Twitter as a way to update the public and our team on our progress and projects. Create a Twitter account at http://twitter.com using your avatar name as your username (i.e., first name if it is available, first+last avatar name if necessary) and your gmail e-mail address as the contact e-mail address. When your account is set up, e-mail your twitter URL to secondlife@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can follow you (and you them). Then, throughout your training and work on the project, you should send periodic updates about what you're working on through your Twitter account.
Getting Started
The UC Second Life Project works extensively with emerging technologies such as blogs, wikis, google apps, Twitter, and other social media to foster a sense of team work and collaboration, and to better understand how these technologies interface with and enhance virtual worlds such as Second Life. If you aren't familiar with some of these tools, the initial experience can be overwhelming. Don't panic! After the initial flurry of creating accounts and getting the proper access, you'll find that you use some tools more frequently than others, and over time you will begin to see how these tools are used.
If you don't already have one, create a Second Life account from the UC Second Life Project (UCSL) website and be sure to choose a name that is work appropriate. Note that as a condition of working for UCSL, this account is for work. You may also create a personal account if you want to explore or play with Second Life in your personal time, but your work account should only be used for activities related to your employment. At the end of your employment, you will need to change your password and hand over your work account to ensure the continuity of your builds, scripts, and other things you will have created, so keep that in mind. When you've finished creating your account, print and complete the UCSL Second Life Work Account Agreement and submit the completed form to the project manager to acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of your work Second Life account.
The UCSL team uses Google applications - shared documents, spreadsheets, and other Google Docs applications - extensively in our collaborative work processes. Go to http://gmail.com and create a new account in the format SLfirstname.SLlastname for use with your UCSL project work. For example, if your avatar name is Fleep Tuque, your gmail account would be fleep.tuque@gmail.com. Send a test message to secondlife@uc.edu to ensure that your e-mail account is working properly. You will then have access to shared folders and other Google applications used by the UCSL team. Then, go to http://secondlife.com and log into your Second Life account on the web and change your account email address to your gmail first.last email address to ensure all communications from Second Life go to your new email account.
The UCSL team uses wikis extensively for collaboration, communicating about project work, and documenting aspects of the project. Go to http://wikispaces.com and create a new account using your SLfirstnameSLlastname as the username, for example, fleeptuque, and your gmail address as the contact e-mail address. Then, request access to become a member of the UC Second Life Project Team Wiki by going to http://ucslteam.wikispaces.com and clicking the "Join" button at the top right corner of the screen. We will grant your request for access as quickly as possible. You will then have access to edit pages on the wiki and see areas of the site not visible to the public.
The UCSL team uses Flickr to store snapshots and screenshots that help document our progress on projects in Second Life. Go to http://flickr.com and create an account using your first.last avatar name as the account information. (This will require that you create a Yahoo! account since Flickr is owned by Yahoo!) After creating your account, join the UC Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC) group so you can add your snapshots and photos to the UCSL group pool at http://www.flickr.com/groups/ucsllc/ . If it is not already installed on the computer you're using in the office, you may also wish to download and install the Flickr photo uploader to simplify adding snapshots to the Flickr group pool. See http://www.flickr.com/tools/ to download and install the Uploader.
We are experimenting with using Twitter as a way to update the public and our team on our progress and projects. Create a Twitter account at http://twitter.com using your avatar name as your username (i.e., first name if it is available, first+last avatar name if necessary) and your gmail e-mail address as the contact e-mail address. When your account is set up, e-mail your twitter URL to secondlife@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can follow you (and you them). Then, throughout your training and work on the project, you should send periodic updates about what you're working on through your Twitter account.
Continue to Chapter 2: Office Procedures